More than a month into hurricane season and no storms yet have threatened the Sunshine State. Still, that doesn’t mean residents should not be prepared.
“It is my thought that if we can do more things up front in preparing for hurricane season, the better off we are going to be at the back end. It is always better to be safe than sorry. And one of the reasons that we are here today, we need to continue prepping to make sure that we have everything in place if a storm hits."
That’s Blaise Ingoglia, Florida’s Chief Financial Office, who came to Naples Tuesday as part of his department’s Hurricane Preparedness tour. Ingoglia urged residents to make sure they have everything in place even if there’s no storm predicted.
“We can be hopeful, but we still need to be vigilant. We need to take proactive steps today. And that is one of the easiest ways to protect your loved ones and your property.”
Ingoglia said it doesn’t hurt to keep yourself stocked up, purchase needed supplies before the storm comes.
"Hopefully we can get some people to start prepping way in advance for any storm that may or may not come. Before a storm strikes, make an emergency kit with extra batteries and water bottles," he said. "We just went through this. Please stock up on this stuff now. It doesn't hurt because look, if a storm comes, what is the worst case scenario? You have extra water. You have extra batteries. You have extra canned food. It's going to get used in your household. Might as well get it now."
Ingoglia also urged homeowners to check insurance coverage now.
"Check your home and flood insurance coverage, then compare options to make sure you have the best protection you need at the best value," he said. " We have had historic reforms in the insurance market. If I would have told you to go in and shop your insurance policies and see what kind of coverage, you have the best coverage for you. Five years ago, those options weren't there. They are there today. Take advantage of that."
Ingoglia also said there was value beyond compare to documenting everything and anything you have either attached to your home, around your home and in your home.
"Go and stand in front of your home. Take out your camera. Start taking pictures of everything outside of the home, inside of the home. Walk through your home. Take a picture of your kitchen cabinet. Take a picture of the kids' room. Take a picture of the family room. Take a picture of the master. Take a picture of the bathrooms. Take a picture of all of the outside from different angles. Document how your home looks today," he said.
HE said you should repeat that process with the video camera on your phone.
"But this time I want you to narrate it. I want you to start at your mailbox. Start videotaping it, and I want you to walk through and say, this is my property line. This is the fence that we just put up. This is the roof that we just put on three years ago. This is the outside of the house. Walk around the perimeter of the outside of the house. This is the landscaping. These are the windows. Walk in the house. I'm walking into the foyer. I'm going to walk into the kids' bedroom. I'm going to walk into the bathroom. Make sure that you're showing the the cabinets, the sink, the tub, all of the tile, if you have, and walk through it and narrate everything," he said.
Even the smallest things, he said, such as a jewelry box and the contents of that jewelry box.
"Document every single thing you have, because if there is ever an instance where there is a conflict between what you say the home was in, the shape it was in, or what you say was in the home, and what the insurance company says, you now have full documentation," he said.
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